IMPE Abstracts

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare disease associated with signaling defects in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway that lead to hyperphagia, severe obesity, and, consequently, reduced quality of life (QOL). We investigated the impact of setmelanotide, an MC4R agonist, on weight, body composition, hunger, and QOL in a Phase 3 trial of patients with BBS to characterize clinically meaningful and patient-relevant benefit. Patients aged ≥6 years with BBS and obesity w...

Background: The leptin-melanocortin pathway regulates satiety and energy metabolism. Prohormone-convertase-1 (PCSK1) cleavage of hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin is an essential step in central leptin signaling and effects. The heterozygous N221D variant in PCSK1 is considered to increase obesity risk in humans through the decrease in enzymatic activity and/or loss of resilience to stressors and could also influence its role in proinsulin processing.<p cla...

Mechanisms underlying long-term sustained weight loss and glycemic normalization after obesity surgery involves changes in gut hormone levels, including glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY). Designing dual or triple agonists based on glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 with glucagon, and/or glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) are promising novel approaches for anti-obesity drugs tackling different weight-regulatory pathways, albeit such developments co...

Background: Hepcidin is a protein that could be a link between iron and inflammation. Hepcidin sequesters iron, increasing intracellular ferritin, which promotes tissue damage through the cascade-amplified inflammation.Aim: To determine the association between hepcidin levels with inflammatory markers (PCR, ferritin, Lpa, and neutrophils), and glucose levels in indigenous school children living at 3750 m above sea level....